<<click here for archives >>

Mass Communication Division
National Communication Association
June 2004

Published three times annually by the Mass Communication Division of NCA.

Newsletter Contents:

• News from the Division Chair

• Research Committee Report

• Call for Nominations for 2004-05 Officers

• Nominations for Teaching and Service Awards

• Division Officers Contact Information

************************************************************************

News from the Division Chair

Hello to all members of the Mass Communication Division with a special welcome to new members and to student members. I hope that your summer is going well. This has been a year of profound change for the Division. As a result of a new policy on panel allocations that is based on membership size, the number of panel slots assigned to the Mass Communication Division was increased this year from 21 to 45. I am very happy to report that submissions to the Division competitive papers and thematic panels kept pace with this increase. As detailed in David Roskos-Ewolsen’s Research Committee report below, the Division was able to fill all the allotted shots with quality panels. A special thanks to David and Mehdi Semati, who coordinated the thematic panel competition, for smoothly handling the substantially increase workload that comes with such rapid growth. The many Division members that contributed their time as reviewers are also to be thanked. Our Division as been blessed over the years with outstanding service from its membership and this year is no exception.

In November 2003, the Legislative Assembly approved changes to the NCA By Laws, concerning unit representation on the Legislative Assembly (LA). Representation is based now on the unit’s size. The Mass Communication Division’s representation has increased from two to four. The Division was asked to determine how the Legislative Assembly members are appointed. We will need to develop and approve our policy at the next business meeting. For this year, the Division leadership assigned the responsibility to the immediate past chair, chair, vice-chair and vice-chair elect.

The Division officers look forward to a busy and productive year. Please offer us your suggestions and ideas of ways to make our 2004 Chicago convention a success. Thanks for all your help.

Jim Walker
Chair, Mass Communication Division, NCA
************************************************************************

Research Committee Report

David Roskos-Ewoldsen, University of Alabama, offers the following report concerning papers submitted to Mass Communication Division for the 2004 convention in Chicago.

The division received a total of 107 competitive paper submissions (170% increase over last year). The summary of results is shown in the following table.

Number of Papers submitted 107
Number of Papers Accepted 76
Average Score Across All Papers 5.1 (0=Lowest; 10=Highest)
Average Score Across Accepted papers 6.6
Average Score of Top 3 Papers 8.9

Three referees reviewed each paper (though not all of the reviews are available on-line), and the top 76 papers were accepted (acceptance rate of 71%). Twenty-three panels were created and proposed from the accepted papers and sent to NCA for presentation in Chicago. Twelve of these panels have been scheduled as “Discussion Panels.” The papers represent a wide range of approaches to the study of mass communication. Having read many of the papers, people who attend these sessions can expect to hear outstanding scholarship.

I want to thank the reviewers who helped with planning this year’s conference.

************************************************************************

Call for Nominations for 2004-05 Officers

The Mass Communication Division Nominations Committee is seeking nominations and self-nominations for division officer positions for 2004-2005. Nominations are sought for the offices of (1) Vice Chair Elect, (2) Secretary, (3) Research Committee member, (4) Publications Editor, (5) Web Wizard, (6) Nominations Committee membership (five positions), (7) NCA Resolutions Representative, and (8) Graduate Student Representative. If you or someone you know is interested in serving, please contact Paul Haridakis (pharidak@kent.edu), Nominations Committee Chair. Please get the word out – we need nominations.

Vice-Chair Elect:
The year that a person is elected to vice-chair elect, that person will be responsible for overseeing the announcements of the teaching/service awards, and for selecting the award winner (with help from other members of committee). The following fall, when the person assumes the position of vice-chair, this position entails going to the program planning meeting at NCA, distributing the call for papers at the business meeting and on the NCA web site, and making sure that the call for papers is given to the program planners. As vice-chair, the person assumes the responsibility of program planner for the division, overseas the judging of panel submissions, and, with the aid of the chair of the research committee, arranges panels and competitive papers into sessions that are submitted to the NCA program planners for consideration. The responsibilities involved in this position are heaviest immediately after the convention, in February and March when division members submit papers and proposals, and during the convention itself when planning meetings occur.

Secretary:
The secretary assumes responsibility for creating and maintaining a record of communication and events at the business meeting during our annual convention. The secretary’s position spans two years. The first year the secretary takes notes during the meeting, following the format set in previous years. Election results will occur simultaneously during regular business. Those notes should be organized and put into a word process file as soon as possible after the meeting and distributed to the vice chair and secretary for review. After any corrections, a permanent version of the notes can be sent to other officers and printed for inclusion in the archive. The second year the secretary is responsible for distributing the notes to meeting attendees and presenting the notes formally at the beginning of the business meeting.

Research Committee:
The person who is elected as a member of the Research Committee will stay on the committee for three years. The first year as a member of the Research Committee, the second year as the Chair-Elect, and the third year as the Chair of the Research Committee. The responsibilities of the first two years on the Committee are mainly to assist the work of the Chair, and to be determined by the Chair. The third year as the Chair of the Committee, the person will coordinate convention paper reviews for the Division, and program competitive paper sessions based on the results of the reviews.

Nominations Committee: (five people elected, including Chair)
The Chair of the Nominations Committee solicits self and other nominations from various MCD positions from members of the Mass Communication Division and from members of the Nominating Committee. It is wise to solicit and receive such nominations by the end of the summer prior to the NCA annual meeting. In consultation with members of the Nominating Committee, the Chair seeks and receives input about the nominees and finalizes a slate of candidates for each position. With the assistance of Committee members, the Nominating Committee Chair conducts the elections during the MCD’s Business Meeting at the NCA Annual Convention.

Publications Editor:
The job of the Publicity officer is to serve as a conduit of information among NCA Mass Communication Division members and does the following three things: (1) Maintain the email list by updating it periodically (i.e., there is a constant churn in the list as new members join, some addresses change, and other drop out, etc.), (2) Writing and dispersing via e-mail three e-newsletters (e.g., in February, June, October/November). Maintaining a e-mailing list can be time consuming, as can editing and producing newsletters. But the position is enjoyable and is an important professional service. Many members of the Mass Communication Division rely heavily on the newsletter, especially the electronic newsletter, for relevant information about research, careers, and the profession.

Web Wizard:
The individual in this position maintains the web site for the division, updating the site with newsletters, names and officers, and contact information.

Graduate Student Representative:
This person serves as a “voice” representing graduate student interests in the division, relaying issues of interest and concern to officers within the division.

Representative to the NCA Resolutions Committee:
This person represents the Mass Communication Division at NCA executive meetings if any resolutions are presented to the association.

************************************************************************

NCA's Mass Communication Division Invites Nominations for
Teaching and Service Awards

The MCD Teaching Award is designed to recognize excellence in teaching, using the term "teacher" in a broad sense. In order to be considered, the nominee must be a member of NCA and MCD, have taught for over ten years, and have been recognized for their teaching excellence by their department, unit, college/university, or other group or association. This includes, but is not limited to, awards, merit evaluations, student recognition, etc. Self-nomination is encouraged in addition to nominations by others. The nomination packet may not exceed 25 pages and should include (1) a single, detailed letter of nomination addressing the qualifications of the nominee; (2) the teacher's curriculum vitae; (3) three letters of recommendation; and (4) representative publications or presentations dealing with teaching and/or curriculum, course outlines/syllabuses, innovative teaching ideas or tools, teaching evaluations and citations, evidence of mentoring and/or advising, or other forms of recognition pertaining to the nominee.

The MCD Service Award is designed to recognize exemplary service in the field. In order to be considered, the nominee must be a member of NCA and MCD, have served the NCA and MCD in a number of capacities, and have evidence of exemplary service to several of the following: NCA, MCD, the profession, the community, the department, the college or university. The nomination packet may not exceed 25 pages and should include (1) a single detailed letter of nomination addressing the qualifications of the nominee; (2) a curriculum vitae; (3) three letters of recommendation; and (4) evidence of service.

To be considered for either award, send five copies of the packet to Kristen Harrison, Vice Chair Elect, Dept. of Speech Communication, University of Illinois, 244 Lincoln Hall, 702 S. Wright St., Urbana, Il 61801. Faxed or electronic submissions will not be accepted.

Nominations should be received by May 15, but later applications will be considered as time allows. Over the summer, an award committee will discuss the nominations. The award committee will consist of the immediate past chair, chair, vice-chair, vice-chair elect and secretary of the MCD. The final decision will be made by August 15. The award recipient will be contacted and asked to attend the MCD Business Meeting during the NCA annual convention to receive the award. The MCD reserves the right to not give any awards.

************************************************************************

Division Officers Contact Information

Elizabeth Perse, Immediate Past Chair
University of Delaware
Department of Communication
Newark, DE 19715
302-831-8029
eperse@udel.edu

James R. Walker, Chair
Saint Xavier University
Department of Communication
3700 W. 103rd St.
Chicago, Il 60655
773-298-3370
walker@sxu.edu

Mehdi Semati, Vice Chair
Eastern Illinois University
Department of Speech Communication
2070 Coleman Hall
600 Lincoln Avenue
Charleston, IL 61920-3099
217-581-6314
cfms2@eiu.edu

Kristen Harrison, Vice Chair Elect
Dept. of Speech Communication
University of Illinois
244 Lincoln Hall
702 S. Wright St.
Urbana, Il 61801
217-244-7536
krishar@uiuc.edu

J. Emmett Winn, Secretary
Auburn University
Department of Communication & Journalism
217 Tichenor Hall
Auburn University, AL 36849
334-844-2761
winnjoh@auburn.edu

Heather Hundley, Secretary Elect
California State University, San Bernardino
Communication Studies
University Hall 201.14
5500 University Parkway
San Bernardino, CA 92407, USA
909-880-7377
hhundley@csusb.edu

Research Committee

David Roskos-Ewolsen, Chair
University of Alabama
College of Communication
Box 870172
Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0172
205-348-8087
droskos@ccom.ua.edu

R. Lance Holbert
University of Delaware
250 Pearson Hall
Newark, DE, 19716-4399
(302) 831-8041
holbert@Udel.edu

Glenda Balas
University of New Mexico
Communication & Journalism
C & J Bldg Room 228
Albuquerque, NM 87131
505-277-4422
gbalas@unm.edu

Walter Atkinson, Publications Editor
Department of Communication
Northern Illinois University
209 Watson Hall
DeKalb, Il 60115
815-753-7009
watkinson@niu.edu

Cary Horvath, Web Wizard
Slippery Rock University
Department of Communication
Slippery Rock, PA 16057
724-738-2564
cary.horvath@sru.edu

David Roskos-Ewolsen, Resolutions Committee
University of Alabama
College of Communication
Box 870172
Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0172
205-348-8087
droskos@ccom.ua.edu

Joe Watson, Graduate Student Representative
Kent State University
School of Communication Studies
PO Box 5190
Kent, OH 44242-0001
330-672-0284
wwatson1@kent.edu

Nominations Committee

Paul Haridakis, Chair
Kent State University
School of Communication Studies
P.O. Box 5190
Kent, OH 44242-0001
330-672-0174
pharidak@kent.edu

Rob Bellamy
Duquesne University
Department of Communication
Pittsburgh, PA 15282
412-396-6443
bellamy@duq2.cc.duq.edu

Joan Conners
Randolph-Macon College
204 Henry Street, Peele Hall
Ashland, VA, 23005
(804) 752-7342
jconners@rmc.edu

Janellen Hill
Regis University
Communication Department E-8
3333 Regis Blvd.
Denver, CO 80221-1099
303-458-4969
jhill@regis.edu

Doug Ferguson, Chair
College of Charleston
Department of Communication
66 George Street
Charleston, SC 29424-0001
843-953-7854
fergusond@cofc.edu

************************************************************************

<<back to top>>